Wednesday 21 January 2015 14:46, UK
Matt Stanger looks at the contrasting fortunes of Spurs striker Roberto Soldado and Sheffield United's Marc McNulty ahead of Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final clash.
For some managers, Roberto Soldado's miss against Burnley in the FA Cup might have been the final straw. Andros Townsend's pinpoint cross found the striker with time and space to spare at the back post, but somehow he managed to lift the ball on to the crossbar from five yards. "My missus could have scored that one," Harry Redknapp once infamously said of Darren Bent heading wide from a similar position at White Hart Lane.
Patience is clearly a virtue for Mauricio Pochettino, however, and despite admitting this week that "any player is for sale" in his bloated squad, the Spurs manager has offered support to Soldado.
“In football, we need to understand sometimes for strikers it’s difficult," he said. "Maybe it’s a tough period for Roberto. He needs to feel our support in that difficult moment. We need to back him and give him the chance to come back. In football, mind and body and fitness and physical condition are all involved together."
In terms of Soldado's physical condition, Premier League Tracking Data suggests he is up to the level of his top-flight rivals. In his last two 90-minute appearances - in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City and 2-1 win at Aston Villa - he covered 9.91km and 9.92km respectively. Those totals are roughly the same as the division's top scorer, Diego Costa, who ran 9.27km against Hull and 9.37km against Spurs on the previous two occasions he completed 90 minutes.
In the absence of any obvious fitness issues, it would seem that Soldado's problems derive from a lack of confidence as Pochettino hinted. “(Fernando) Torres scored twice (in the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid) and it’s a good situation to recover his confidence in his game," said the Spurs manager last week, offering hope of redemption to his own struggling Spaniard.
Confidence is a key ingredient for any footballer, but is perhaps particularly imperative at both ends of the pitch where individual contributions are much more perspicuous. If a player is full of confidence it aids intuitive action, which has been a key part of Soldado's woes.
The stats point to a player on the periphery of the Spurs attack. Five of Soldado's team-mates have averaged more than his record of 2.5 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League, with 1.5 of those attempts failing to hit the target. When you consider that Soldado has achieved Spurs' highest average number of shots (2.1) inside the penalty box, it reinforces concerns over his finishing.
By contrast, Spurs' Capital One Cup opponents on Wednesday boast a striker bursting with self-belief. Sheffield United’s Marc McNulty scored the winning goal in the previous round against Southampton and was on target against Premier League opposition again in the FA Cup when the Blades romped to a 3-0 win at QPR.
Intriguingly, manager Nigel Clough has previously questioned the 22-year-old's all-round game despite his goalscoring exploits.
"I didn't think he played particularly well, especially in the first 10, 15 minutes, but he got his poacher's goal," said Clough after October's 2-0 win over Yeovil that saw McNulty score for a fourth consecutive league match. "He should have caused the centre-halves more trouble and worked the channels more."
Goals are the primary currency on which forwards are judged, however, and it is McNulty's deadly touch that poses the biggest threat to Spurs. After signing from Livingston in the summer, the former Celtic youngster has found the net on 10 occasions in 27 matches and only 12 starts. Soldado’s total for the season stands at four strikes in 25 matches, with the 29-year-old starting 14 of those fixtures.
This tale of two strikers could be crucial in deciding Spurs and Sheffield United’s two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final. While Soldado’s fall from grace shows no sign of abating, McNulty is on an upward curve at the start of a promising career. Of course, he would love to one day reach the heights his counterpart previously scaled in Spain, and Wednesday’s game offers another opportunity for the youngster to make a name for himself.
Soldado, on the other hand, will continue his bid to restore a bruised reputation. He may retain Pochettino’s faith but, if he is to secure a long-term future at Spurs, he must soon regain his confidence in front of goal.
Watch Tottenham v Sheffield United live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.00pm on Wednesday.
